Did you try lesser loads, like 80-90 with the pyrodex? nothing wrong with the XTP your shooting,the gold dot .451 250 gr bullet is a better bullet at about the same price.you might try it with some mmp-24 or 12's depending on what your bore likes.777 is good powder, you might try it and start at about 80 gr and work up from there. what distances are you normally shooting at where you hunt. Ray